The return of the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) Passerelle competition is proof of the lasting legacy that Nic Jorge had left behind, close to 50 years after establishing the pioneering basketball clinic in the country.
For its return after five years, the 35th SBP-Passerelle twin tournaments for players aged 9 to 15 will be hosted in 11 major provinces and cities across the country.
The series of tournaments kick off on October 12 in Roxas City to be followed by local leagues in Bacolod, Baguio, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro/Pagadian, Davao, Iloilo, Lucena, Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Zamboanga.
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Teaching proper kids the rudiments of basketball was the goal of Jorge, who passed away in 2020, when he first took on the coaching job at University of the Philippines in the 1960s.
When he coached the national teams for the Fiba World Championship and the Asian Games, Jorge also established the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training Center (Best Center) in 1978 in partnership with Milo.
During that time, sports clinics were unheard of locally.
Since then, Best Center was able to produce athletes who went on to dominate the sport in the collegiate and professional leagues like the UAAP, NCAA and the PBA, including names like Jerry Codiñera, Jun Limpot, Benjie Paras, Kiefer Ravena, and Chris Tiu.
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“It has always been my dream to see the Filipino youth active in sports. Basketball is an avenue to greatness, but more so to discipline and to developing proper mindset and attitude in dealing with life and its challenges,” Jorge said before his death.
Before his passing, Jorge had given his full life to sports and its management. He served as secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), the predecessor to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Since then, the Best Center has conducted clinics in both basketball and volleyball and has given very young athletes their own leagues to strut their wares, until the COVID-19 pandemic struck.